


Life's Challenges

by Shugo_Ookami



Series: Dorian and Ru'riro [7]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Child Care, College AU, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, Multi Chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 02:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5112614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shugo_Ookami/pseuds/Shugo_Ookami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BEING COMPLETELY REWRITTEN AND REWORKED AS OF 9/18/16</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, another college!au for Dragon Age...but I had this idea and now it won't leave so I'm writing it.  
> Hope you get some enjoyment out of it!

Every day Dorian watched Lavellan practically sprint out of the classroom, tripping over people sometimes while apologizing profusely before bolting out the door. Not one for rushing out of his last class of the day, Dorian usually took his time with gathering his things so he was shocked to see that Ru’riro was still in the classroom after class had ended. Although he looked stressed and anxious, looking towards the door frequently. 

“Need to speak to the Professor?” Dorian asked as he walked up to the elf, giving him a smile. 

Nodding, Ru’riro sighed heavily. “Yeah and I need to get going.” He muttered, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. He perked up slightly when he saw one student walk away before his face fell immediately when another student pushed their way forward. “Oh for the love of-“ 

“Maybe I could help with whatever you need to ask?” Dorian offered, watching as the slight man got angrier and angrier about being pushed to the side. He received a slightly guilty look from the other. “Or not?”

“I’m sorry. It’s actually about something personal. The timing of our exam next week doesn’t work well for me. Hopefully the professor will understand.” Ru’riro sighed softly before flashing Dorian a smile as he noticed that their professor was finally free. “Thank you for trying to help though. I’ll see you next class.” He said before quickly scooting closer to the professor and started talking rapidly to the man. 

Dorian watched for a few moments, noticing that there seemed to be a bit of an argument before Ru’riro suddenly excused himself and this time he really did run out of the room. Raising an eyebrow at the action, he caught the attention of the professor and was spoken to. “He wanted me to either move the date of the exam or have him come to a special proctored exam. It is stated in the syllabus that I do not do that under any circumstances. He’ll have to figure something out.” The way the man said it got on the Vint’s nerves but he bit back a retort before leaving the classroom with his confusion still floating about. He let go of it as he made his way to his apartment later that evening.

But the confusion returned the next class day when he saw Lavellan walk into class looking like death warmed over. Normally he wouldn’t move from his claimed spot but today decided to change it up a bit. Getting up, Dorian moved over to where Ru’riro was sitting and sat next to him. Surprised about not getting a greeting from the friendly elf, he peeked over to the other’s face and saw that he was passing out before the class was even started. “You should have gotten a stronger coffee.” He teased with a grin before it quickly dropped as the other jolted upright quickly. “Terribly sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

Yawning loudly, Ru’riro waved off his concerns before covering his mouth as another yawn escaped him. “I should have gotten some coffee in the first place.” Rubbing at his face, he glanced towards Dorian and gave him a smile. “That isn’t your usual spot.”

Chuckling, the other shrugged slightly. “Needed a change today. Besides, this way I can pester the professor a bit more.” That got him a chuckle from the elf, making his heart soar. “The way he goes on about Ancient Elves and their practices is absolutely ridiculous.” He snorted, rolling his eyes before he remembered who he was talking to and quickly added “Not that they were ridiculous. The way he talks about them-“

“No no. You’re right. The way he retells my ancestors’ lives is ridiculous.” Ru’riro chuckled, grinning at the other. He watched as the small look of panic disappeared from Dorian’s face as the moment of awkwardness left. “And he’s completely wrong on quite a few things but I know if I say anything he’ll just say I’m an idealist and wave off my comments.” Sighing softly, he stared tiredly at the front of the room before looking at Dorian again. “Think he’ll go easy on us today?”

“Oh most definitely not. Not with the exam so close.” Dorian said immediately, shrugging a bit before he caught the look on the other’s face. “Ah, not ready for that?”

Ru’riro winced before laying his head on the table. “I am but…I have something going on the morning of the exam and I might be ten minutes late to class and I know I can’t be late or else I’ll get an automatic fail for the exam. I can’t afford that.” He let out another sigh before picking his head up slightly as he heard someone approach their table but laid his head back down when he realized they were just there to talk to Dorian. He listened to them speak, quickly realizing they were speaking Tevene. It was a beautiful language, in his opinion. And the man next to him speaking? Beautiful as well. Not that he would ever say that to the other. Drifting off again, he jolted when Dorian set a hand on his shoulder. “Class starting?”

“Actually…It ended about five minutes ago.” Dorian said sheepishly. A look of pure panic crossed Ru’riro’s face as the elf looked around the room frantically. It was indeed empty and he jumped up to start shoving his things into his bag. 

“Why didn’t you wake me up when class started?!” He asked angrily, glaring at Dorian. “Shit shit shit.” He shoved his last book into his bag and was about to run out of the room when Dorian grabbed at his wrist quickly. “Dorian let go! I have to go!”

“Calm down. He ended it early.” 

Confused, Ru’riro looked to the clock and was even more confused when he saw that technically class still had a half hour left. “What?”

“Something about us needing to study on our own for the exam instead of him just spouting everything he’s already said to us.” Dorian said calmly, not letting go of the other’s wrist until he was calm as well. “So you’re fine. No need to run out like a headless chicken just yet. Let’s go get coffee, yes? You look like you need some still.”

“I uhh…” Glancing at the clock again, Ru’riro chewed on his lower lip a bit before nodding slightly. “I guess I have some time.” Smiling down at the Vint, he waited for the other to gather up his things. 

“Right then. Off we go!” Dorian said, grinning at the other before leading the other out of the room and towards a small café on campus. As they were ordering, he quickly waved off the elf from paying for his own coffee and paid for the two of their drinks. “Nope, this was my idea. I’m paying for these.” He was met with what was probably the most adorable pout he had ever seen. “Just means you can get it next time.” He added with a wink. 

“Next time huh?” Ru’riro grinned, a small blush spreading across his cheeks before he chuckled as he grabbed his drink. He hid behind the cup, taking a small sip from it as Dorian grabbed his own drink and followed the other to an open table. “I’ll have to see when I’m free next and we can get coffee again.” Sitting down, he set his bag on the floor before taking another sip from the coffee. He was extremely grateful for the coffee. “Thank you for this.”

Smiling warmly, Dorian held up his drink slightly. “Any time, Ru’riro.” He caught the other’s blush and couldn’t help the grin that was on his own lips as the other hid behind his drink again. “Now, I hope this doesn’t overstep boundaries at all but why do you always run out of the room as soon as the class ends?”

Tensing, Ru’riro cleared his throat quickly before looking off to the side. “I have a job that I have to rush off to right after. If I’m even a minute late I could get into a lot of trouble.” Uncomfortable with where this was going, he took a quick drink before glancing at the time. “And I should actually get going here soon before it gets too late.” 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Dorian said quickly, worried that maybe he had overstepped some boundaries. “Is everything alright? Are you alright?”

“No, you didn’t. I just really should get going. And I’m fine. Really, I am.” Ru’riro said, finishing up his drink quickly before grabbing his bag again. “Thank you. Really. I appreciate this a lot.” He said, smiling warmly. “I’ll see you later.” 

And with that, he was running off again. Dorian sure was getting used to watching this elf walk away from him. Although he wasn’t going to complain about the view.

But that didn’t stop him from worrying.


	2. Chapter 2

Exam day. Something Ru’riro was dreading.

And currently rushing to.

Sliding into the room literally seconds before his professor did, he flopped down into his seat with a heavy sigh.

“That was close.” Dorian muttered, glancing at the elf off to his side. “Here.” He slid a cup of coffee towards the other with a smile. There was a pause of silence between them and he turned his head fully to the other and was graced with the most perplexed look from the other. Chuckling, he grinned at Ru’riro. “Oh I knew you’d be needing this today of all days. Everything go alright this morning?” He asked, watching the elf take the cup with a small smile as he took a sip from it. Watching as far too blue eyes light up happily, he turned his head back towards his things to avoid letting the other see his own expression of happiness.

There was a chuckle from Ru’riro, making Dorian look at the elf again with an eyebrow raised. “I owe you two coffees now.” He explained, smiling at Dorian happily as he took another sip of the hot drink. He was about to say something else but the TA started handing out the tests and they fell silent as they went about taking the exam.

As soon as Ru’riro was done with the exam with a considerable amount of time left, he packed up his things and left the room. Dorian quickly finished up his exam as well and chased after the elf. He didn’t have to go far before he almost ran into the elf who was on the phone. He quickly stopped, stepping off to the side to wait for the other to finish up his phone call. 

“Thank you again. I’m so sorry for leaving her with you so early in the morning. I tried to get the exam reschedule or even set aside a specific time for me to come in but he wouldn’t budge on it. I owe you quite a bit for this. I’ll come by in an hour or so-No no you don’t have to- Amien-“ Ru’riro pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it slightly before sighing heavily. 

“Everything all right?” Dorian asked, chuckling as the other whipped around to look at him in surprise. “I seem to be very good at scaring you lately.” He teased, grinning at the other.

It took a moment before the other could relax but Ru’riro did chuckle at the other’s comment. “Yes, you do seem to be doing that a lot don’t you?” He murmured, smiling at the other. “Everything’s fine. I actually seem to have some time for a few hours.” He said, biting his lip slightly. “Are you free right now?” He asked, looking at Dorian with a grin.

“For a while, yes. If you are suggesting coffee, I will have to decline. I’ve had about two cups of it this morning already.” Dorian said, tutting slightly.

“Actually, I was wondering about lunch.” Ru’riro said bluntly, feeling the tips of his ears start to burn in embarrassment. Getting a slightly shocked look from the other, he quickly changed his approach. “Ah, sorry I should have asked if you had plans first. Maybe some other-“

“Yes.” Dorian said quickly, starling the other again. “Did you somewhere in mind?” Getting a cute reaction from the other, he couldn’t help but grin. “Not any of the places here on campus I hope?”

Laughing, Ru’riro shook his head. “Of course not! There’s this small Antivan restaurant not too far from here that’s pretty good.” He said, shrugging a bit. He got a grin from the other and assumed that he was given the affirmation to take the Vint there for lunch. It wasn’t a long walk to the restaurant. They chatted comfortably the entire way there, something both of them were grateful for. It took a moment for them to order what they wanted, Dorian getting a surprise that Ru’riro knew Antivan fairly well. He was about to pay for himself when Ru’riro quickly paid for their meals. “I said I owed you.”

“Yes but for coffee!” Dorian complained, shaking his head slightly. “Not for a full meal.” He watched the elf shrug with a smile on his lips and didn’t stop his own smile from growing larger. They grabbed their orders and found a decently private area to sit at for their lunch and once they were settled back into a comfortable silence, Dorian deciding to ask a question that had been bothering him still. “So this job of yours? Is it every day or just on Mondays and Wednesdays after class?”

“Every day.” Ru’riro said quickly, smiling slightly. “But I like it.” 

There was a guarded expression on the elf’s face that made Dorian back down on the next question he had. Instead, he smiled one of his natural charming smiles at the other. “Well that’s good. You always seem to be in a rush to leave. I was curious and wondered if you had a strict employer.”

Laughter bubbled out of Ru’riro and he had to set his drink down on the table before he spilled some of it. “You could say my employer is a bit demanding but that’s it. Otherwise I love my job.” He murmured, grinning again before he picked his cup back up to take a drink. He felt his phone go off and his heart sank a bit. Carefully picking it up to check on it, he let out a small sigh of relief.

“Everything alright?” Dorian piped up, noticing the shift in the other’s mood. Ru’riro looked up at him with a slightly confused look before it was gone and another smile was there as the male nodded. “Ah, good. Thought maybe I was going to lose you to your job.” 

“Ah, well it does have to do with that but it was more of a reminder.” Ru’riro explained, shrugging a bit before grabbing his sandwich to start on it. Swallowing down a bit, he pointed at the other casually. “Have you looked at that next assignment for the class at all?”

“Oh the research project we have to do with an assigned partner?” Dorian hummed before nodding a bit to the other’s nod. “A bit. Haven’t gotten around to pestering the man about partners though. No one in that class, other than you I think, would be worth even partnering up with.” There was a startled choking noise coming from the elf, startling Dorian instantly. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m-“ Ru’riro started coughing again before he waved off the other. “I’m fine.” He said, his voice scratchy. “Caught me off guard though.” He chuckled, smiling at the other embarrassedly. “You’d want to partner with me on this project? Did you even read what it was that we had to research?” Judging by the questioning look he got, he was going to assume that it was a no. “Slavery of elves in different countries. I think he’s doing this on purpose at this point. I am the only Dalish elf in the class now. Well…the only one that’s stayed more than three weeks in his class that is.” He laughed, rolling his eyes slightly.

“Oh.”

That got the elf laughing again. Snorting, he shook his head. “But hey, I’m flattered you think I’m worthy enough to partner with you.”

“Of course you are.” The Vint immediately responded. “I may only see you during classes. Honestly I’ve only ever gotten to see you during the classes we’ve had together the past couple semesters but even I can see that you’re a smart guy and decent person.”

“Only decent?!” Ru’riro let out a fake hurt gasp before succumbing to laughter again. “No you’re probably right.” 

“Well…you are a bit more than just decent I will admit to that.” Dorian added, grinning once the other started blushing just like he thought he would. They fell into more conversation, mainly teasing each other and Dorian managed to weasel Ru’riro’s number out of him at some point under the guise of possibly needing to ask the other questions about class at random times of the day. That started a small teasing accusation that Dorian only wanted his number so he could ask him about elf slavery. They ended lunch a little sooner than Dorian would have liked and he casually kept Ru’riro going with conversation as he noticed the other started looking at his phone frequently. After the fifth time in three minutes of the other checking his phone, he gave the other a small smile. “Am I keeping you?”

“What?! No! No you’re not. Just…waiting for the inevitable call from my cousin.” Ru’riro chuckled softly, pocketing his phone again quickly.

“Your cousin?”

“I had her do a favor for me this morning. Just waiting for her to call me to come back to her place to retrieve stuff.” He was being evasive and he knew he was but he didn’t like giving out too many details of his personal life. Even if it was Dorian.

“Well, if you need to be going, you can leave. I’m not going to force you to sit here with me.” Dorian said easily, waving a hand towards the door dramatically. “Just know that you will receive a message the moment you walk away asking you about fifteen questions for the research project.” That laughter was music to the Vint’s ears. He was so utterly taken with this elf it was ridiculous. 

“You’re the worst. I hope we don’t get paired for this project. It will just be the death of me.” Ru’riro snorted, grinning at Dorian before he jumped and pulled his phone form his pocket. “Ah, there it is.” He gave the other an apologetic smile before quickly answering the call and rapidly speaking in Elven into it. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he looked at the other and grinned sheepishly. “Now I have to go.” They booth stood up at the same time and it was like a goddamned cliché from a romance movie with how close they ended up to each other. Ru’riro’s ears immediately started burning as he stared at the other. “Uhh…Thanks for having lunch with me, Dorian.”

It took a moment before Dorian got his wits about him and he nodded before smiling. “Thank you for inviting me. Maybe we can do this again soon? But I’m paying next time. Maybe after class next week if you don’t have to bolt out like usual?”

“I’ll have to see what it looks like next week but hopefully I can get a couple hours after class off.”

“Fantastic. It’s a date then.” Dorian said easily, grinning when he saw how red Ru’riro’s ears had gotten before it was his turn to blush furiously as the other smiled happily and nodded.

“I’ll see you later.”

Frozen in his spot, all Dorian could do was watch as Ru’riro disappeared. Again. 

At least he got to enjoy the view. Again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ru'riro and Dorian get paired for a project and Dorian yells at some bullies. And receives an odd text message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely sure how long this fic will be? I might make it a longer chaptered fic than originally planned as I have a LOT of ideas. But for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you all so very much for reading this and for subscribing and kudoing and bookmarking and just generally all being super amazing and awesome!

“Ha. We got paired together, Ru’riro.” Dorian sang out as Ru’riro approached what had quickly became their table in the lecture room. Getting an owlish stare from the other, he grinned and lifted up a small packet of papers. “He gave me the assignment in it’s entirety. This thing is ten pages of information of how to do this research project. And he also told me he wanted to see our dynamics with working with each other on such a touchy subject.” That got him a snort from the elf. “That’s what I almost did when he told me that. He could have been a little nicer about that. A Vint and a Dalish working together on the subject of elven slavery. Couldn’t have been more obvious. Five silvers if he gets perplexed by how well we do on the project in the end.”

“I had a feeling he would do this. Although I figured he would pair us up with other people completely because we know each other already. His loss.” Ru’riro shrugged as he tossed his bag onto the table before slumping down into the seat with a sigh. Rubbing at his face, he tipped his head back with a small groan. “I have Wednesday free.”

Confused for a moment, Dorian stared at the other before realization dawned on him and he grinned widely. “Does that mean I can take you out for lunch then?” Seeing the grin on Ru’riro’s face, he tapped the other’s forehead gently and got a squawk in return. “I’ll take that as a yes then, hm?”

Grumbling, Ru’riro rubbed at his forehead with a small pout. “Yes. Bully.”

“Your words wound me so.” Dorian said dramatically before snickering quietly. “Are you free this weekend to work on the project at all? We do have three weeks to get this done but honestly I’d like to get it done as soon as possibly. I was thinking we could meet up at either my place or yours to work on it.”

Pausing before glancing at the other, Ru’riro nodded slightly. “I’ll be free but…if we do the project at my place-“ He got cut off as the professor loudly walked into the room and started spouting off something about the exam not being difficult enough as almost everyone passed it easily. Giving the Vint a small smile, he turned his attention to the front of the room. Scribbling down a quick note, Rur’riro slid it towards the other casually without looking at the other.

_It’d be better if we did the project at my place this weekend. I have to leave right away after class again so I’ll text you my address later_

Dorian quickly read the note, chuckling lowly at the other’s old school way of telling him things. It wasn’t often he got a note passed to him during class. In fact, that hadn’t happened to him since high school and that was quite some time ago already. He tucked the note away into a notebook before gently nudging the other to let him know he got the message before they both returned their attention to the front of the class. What he wasn’t expecting was the second note that was slid towards him a short while later, causing him to start just slightly as paper was slipped underneath his fingers. Glancing towards it, he carefully opened it up and held back a laugh that was trying to work its way out of him.

_I feel like I’m 12 years old by writing notes to you but I’m bored. He’s wrong with everything again. And mispronouncing things…again…_

Deciding to go along with it, Dorian started to write back on the piece of paper. _I thought he mispronounced Arlathan but I wasn’t entirely sure. Isn’t it pronounced Ar-LAH-thahn? Not ARL-athin?_ Sliding the note back, he nudged Ru’riro gently to get his attention.

It wasn’t long before he received his response. Also a small drawing of an angry looking elf. That made him nearly snort but he quickly covered it up with a cough. _You’re correct. I don’t think he even bothers looking any of this shit up. It’s really infuriating. I’m half wondering if he does this on purpose to piss me off._

 _That’s entirely possible honestly. Maybe trying to get you to do something drastic? Cause a commotion? Start a riot? Who knows. It’s over in ten minutes anyway._ He slid the note over and didn’t receive a response afterwards as suddenly the other was very interested in taking notes on the lecture before the class was over. As he stood to collect his things, Ru’riro gently tapped his shoulder. “Hm?” He turned slightly to see what the other needed and was surprised to see the other looking slightly embarrassed.

“Do you have any food allergies?”

“I- Uh, no I don’t.” Dorian replied, confused by the question. 

“Oh good!” Ru’riro was grinning now, visibly excited. “I figured I could make dinner when you’re over. If that’s okay with you!” His excitement drained a little and he momentarily panicked at his forwardness with the other.

“No no, it’s okay! I’ll gladly accept a home cooked meal. Means I don’t have to cook for myself that night.” The look of panic faded form the elf’s face as Dorian quickly responded to him, looking much more excited again as his offer was accepted. It was quite adorable really. “Weren’t you supposed to go running off like usual?”

“Fenedhis!” The Vint jumped at the sudden curse from the elf as he quickly packed up the rest of his things and shouldered his bag before pausing to look at the other again. “I’ll text you my address later. See you this weekend!” He said happily before bolting out of the classroom like usual.

 _Maker he’s going to kill me with how sweet he is._ Dorian shook his head, making sure he had everything before he froze when he heard the group behind him talking about the elf.

“See how he bolts for the door every day? I heard it was because he works for those damned thieves. Can’t trust a knife ear.” “Really? I heard it was because he was whoring himself out and would get into major trouble if he was ever late.” “Yeah right. He wouldn’t be in school if he was doing that!” “Seriously? I thought he was in some sort of-“

“Shut. Up.” Dorian hissed, turning to glare at them all. They all jumped at his reaction and quickly stopped talking. “You don’t know his life. I may not know why he runs out every damn day but that doesn’t mean I talk about him behind his back. And neither should any of you.” He continued to glare at them, causing them to shift uncomfortably before he grabbed his things and left the classroom before he did something drastic. He nearly jumped out of his skin as his phone buzzed with a message. Pulling it out, he stared at the message he had received from Ru’riro. 

‘dafkjasfi 10 3jfla fu47 ST SEAST’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘That was meant to be my address…Sorry about that. Here’s the actual address’

He waited a few moments before nodding once he got the correct address from the elf and was surprised to find out that they lived practically next to each other. Just a street apart. How had he never realized this? 

‘I will see you this weekend then’ Dorian hit send before he said anything stupid to the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the mix up! I guess when I tried uploading both chapters last night only one went through!

There was a rapid knocking on his front door and Ru’riro was trying to quickly pick up anything and everything off his floors but gave up the moment he saw a blur of a three-year-old running for the door. “Alana! Do not open that door!” He yelped, stumbling after the young girl and scooped her up just in time as she had grabbed the door handle. He heard a muffled laugh, making him flush from embarrassment before he gently scooted Alana towards the living room again. Opening the door, he smiled at Dorian who had lifted a hand to knock on the door again with a perplexed look on his face. “Hi.”

“Hello there. Who were you just yelling to?” Dorian asked as he was let into the entrance area, removing his shoes before setting them off to the side. He looked up to see Ru’riro anxiously glancing back. “Ru’riro? Is everything alright?”

“Are you okay with children?” Ru’riro asked suddenly, turning to face the Vint again. He looked nervous but it was bordering on fear. He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head as he glanced towards the living room again. “That sounded a little odd. Its just…I have a…I’m the guardian to Alana. She’s three. Her parents died last year in a car accident and I was the only one they trusted. I know I should have said something sooner but I was scared that if I said anything you’d treat like everyone always does once they find out and I really didn’t want that because-“

“Ru,” Dorian chuckled, stopping the other in his rambling. “It’s okay. At least I understand why you run out every class day.” That made Ru’riro blush heavily. Chuckling, he grinned at the flustered elf. He was about to say something else but there was a sudden crash and next thing he knew the elf was gone before he could even blink. Cautiously following after Ru’riro, Dorian peeked into what was the living room to find the elf quickly tugging the small girl down from off the bookshelf while chattering away in elvish. Leaning against he doorframe, Dorian watched the exchange before chuckling as Ru’riro finally set the girl down with a gentle nudge towards something much safer. “Everything alright?” He spoke up, making the elf jump and grin lopsidedly at him. 

Nodding, Ru’riro straightened up a bit before he quickly started picking up the living room. “She’s fine. Not the first time she’s climbed that actually. And won’t be the last time today either.” He muttered, running around to put things away but was stopped as Dorian gently grabbed his wrist.

“Calm down. You don’t need to pick up. Besides, she’s a child. It’ll only be messier soon after you’ve completely cleaned up.” That got him a laugh from the elf and what he thought was an embarrassed smile but he didn’t tease the other for it this time. He let go of the elf’s wrist slowly, almost hesitantly before he rubbed the back of his neck. “So, that assignment...We should probably get that started.” Dorian murmured, his eyes following Alana as she wandered around. 

“Oh, right yeah…we should.” Ru’riro said quickly, pulling away from Dorian slightly and lead him further into the room. “I have most of the things we should need in here. I have more books on the topic as well.” He sat down on the couch, waiting for the other to join him before he started pulling out various research papers he already had ready for them to sift through to get started on their own work. “And I do know someone I could talk to for more information. He’s sort of like a historian on the subject.” 

They quickly got invested in working on their research that they didn’t notice time passing before Alana came tottering into the room quietly and tugged on Dorian’s sleeve gently. Looking at the small girl, the Vint smiled at her gently. “Yes?” He didn’t get a response and got a little worried before she held her arms out. Recognizing that action, he leaned forward and picked her up gently, setting her on his lap. “There we are. Comfortable?” Getting a sleepy nod in return before suddenly the small girl was moving around a bit, resting her head on Dorian’s shoulder and let out a yawn. Looking down at Alana in surprise, Dorian chuckled quietly before putting an arm around her to make sure she was secure on his lap. Glancing off towards Ru’riro, he started slightly at the other’s look of surprise. “Is everything alright?”

“I’ve…I’ve never seen her get so comfortable with a stranger before.” Ru’riro said softly, in awe as he peered at the sleeping girl in Dorian’s arms. “She’s usually so shy around new people that it takes her months to get used to them…especially humans… I’m just…really happy to see that she’s THIS comfortable with you already.” He reached out carefully and stroked Alana’s hair gently before pulling away again, beaming up at Dorian happily. There was a moment of silence as they just stared at each other momentarily before Ru’riro cleared his throat quietly. “I uh…I should go start dinner. We’ve been working long enough.” He quietly moved off the couch and turned back towards the Vint, arms outstretched to take Alana out of Dorian’s arms.

“Ah, you don’t have to do that. She’s comfortable. I’ve got her.” Dorian said quickly, lifting up a foot to nudge the elf away gently. “I’ll watch her.” Seeing the conflicting emotions going through Ru’riro’s face, he let out a quiet chuckle. “Ru’riro, I’ve got her. She’s napping, I won’t be moving. Perfect situation wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well…if it’s no trouble-“

“It’s not a trouble in the world. I promise.”

“Alright then. Thank you.” 

Dorian waited until Ru’riro was out of the room before he let out a long breath, feeling his face turning red. _Kaffas that smile of his is going to be the death of me._ He leaned back into the couch and listening to the general noise of Ru’riro moving about in the kitchen, listening to things getting moved around and then the elf’s humming as he worked. It was quite cute in his opinion. And also disgustingly domestic. _No wait. Get that thought away from your head, Pavus._ He wasn’t going to admit his attraction to the elf, not yet, maybe even not ever. He’d heard rumors that the other fancied men but he didn’t want to put the other on the spot about it so he kept quiet. Unlike some others. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and let the general feeling of being comfortable and relaxed take over him.

However, that feeling got the best of him and the next thing he was aware of was Ru’riro peering down at him while shaking his shoulder gently. “Wake up, Dorian.” He laughed, grinning at the human happily. “You’re quite the heavy sleeper.” He teased as he retracted his hand and moved out of the other’s space to let him sit up fully. “Dinner’s ready.”

Dazed, Dorian continued to look at the elf for a few more minutes before nodding slowly and sitting up fully. It was then he realized that Alana was no longer in his lap and he looked around quickly before seeing the young girl sitting at the table. “Right. Well. I wasn’t expecting to take a nap alongside her.” He muttered, standing up with a yawn. He turned to face the other and raised an eyebrow at the smirk he was seeing. “What?” He asked as he self consciously reached up to preen himself. “Is my hair a mess?”

“Nope.” Ru’riro chuckled, turning back around to lead the other to the dining room. “Alana does say you snore though.” He added, looking back to grin at the Vint as he gestured towards a chair for him to sit down as he sat down in his own spot.

“I do not!” Dorian grumbled, pouting slightly as he sat down in the chair across Ru’riro. He took in the sight of the food and took in the scent as well. “This smells amazing.” He smiled at the other, catching sight of the blush creeping up the other’s ears as he was handed the main dish to put onto his plate. Which he did. 

For the most part, their meal was spent in comfortable silence other than Alana’s occasional outbursts of random sentences and words. Some of which were specifically aimed towards Dorian which he graciously responded to every time. More than once he caught Ru’riro looking incredibly in awe and in pure joy, making him inwardly proud. He watched as the elf helped Alana down from her high chair and cleaned her up before letting her run off so he could finish up his meal. Watching him for a few moments, Dorian finally piped up. “Pardon me if this is a bit intrusive but you seem to bolt out of class the moment we’re done; do you have a schedule of babysitters or something for Alana?”

Stiffening slightly, Ru’riro let out a small sigh and nodded slowly. Pushing his food around slowly, he avoided looking up before sighing again. “Yeah…it’s…kind of tough. My cousin, Amien, will normally take her in the mornings that I have class and then her brother will take her when I have to go to work but I have to pick Alana up as soon as I can so that Amien can go to work. Thankfully she’s has this position where she can typically go in at any time but she has a major project going on right now so she can’t really show up later than eleven these days and she works about twenty minutes away from here. I hope you see my time constraint situation for that.“ He let out a chuckle, looking at Dorian. “I spend a couple hours with her before I have to run off to work after Mylo gets here to watch her. Then I work for a few hours, come home just in time for Mylo to run off to work. And that’s only two days of the week. The other’s are a bit less hectic but still a juggle.”

There was a sudden exhaustion in Ru’riro’s eyes that hadn’t been there prior to his questioning and it made Dorian’s heart constrict just slightly. “Are there times you need someone to watch her at all?” He asked cautiously, watching the elf carefully as he didn’t want to upset the other. “Other than the two days we have class together, I’m pretty much free after noon. Perks of being a senior.” He chuckled, smiling warmly at the other.

Wide eyes got almost impossibly wider as Ru’riro understood the offer and he quickly shook his head. “No I couldn’t possibly ask that of you. She’s a handful and has some…issues adjusting to new people and-“

“Ru’riro, you wouldn’t be asking. I’m offering.” Dorian said gently, quickly thinking of a way to calm the other but couldn’t figure anything out. He didn’t know the elf all that well other than what he’s learned from having classes with him or sparse conversations. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to help if you’d let me.” That seemed to calm the other a bit, watching tense shoulders relax considerably. “You don’t have to accept or deny right now. Just if you ever need the help, you do have my number.” He said quickly, smiling again. “Now, let’s get this all cleaned up and get a little more work done before giving up completely and hoping for the best.”

That got loud laughter from Ru’riro as he nodded and stood up with the other to start clearing the table. They had gotten a majority of the kitchen clean and were enjoying each other’s company when Alana came walking in and tugging on Ru’riro’s shirt to get his attention to pick her up where she promptly buried her face into his neck and let out a loud yawn. “Well, it is getting a bit late for her. I’ll go put her to bed and we can get some more work done.” He said softly, rocking the small girl in his arms before walking off towards her room. “I think we bookmarked the spot we left off on.”

“We did. I’ll get the stuff set up again. You go do what you have to.” Dorian said just as softly, smiling at them before moving back into the living room.

Once Alana was down for the night and Ru’riro had returned, research was practically forgotten as the two of them got lost in conversation and theories again. And complaining. But that was a given with Dorian around. 

“Well, it is getting rather late. I do believe I should get going and let you sleep.” Dorian said, gathering his things before standing up. 

Ru’riro gave him a perplexed look before checking the time. “Creators! I didn’t realize it was THIS late, I’m so sorry!” He stood up quickly and tidied things up out of habit before he felt Dorian’s hand on his shoulders. Looking up, he couldn’t help but grin. “Habit. Sorry.”

“No no, that’s fine.” The Vint said with a small chuckle. “So I’ll see you later then? Maybe before the weekend is over?” He asked as the other lead him towards the front door.

“Is that a request, Pavus?” Ru’riro asked, smirking slightly as he opened up the door for the other. “If so, I might have to accept it.” He could feel his ears heating up with the blatant flirting and he knew Dorian saw it when he saw the human’s eyes flick towards his ears and back to his face.

“It was indeed a request. I’m glad you caught on to it.” Dorian turned to fully look at the other before sighing heavily. “I am going to leave before I do something incredibly stupid-“

“I don’t mind stupid.”

“So I bid-Oh.” Cutting himself off, Dorian stared at the smaller male before feeling his face heat up considerably. “Oh um..well…If it’s all right with you.” He murmured, leaning over to press his lips against Ru’riro’s cheek gently. “I bid you good-night, Ru’riro.” He whispered before pulling away and quickly left the other’s home. Not looking back in fear of not wanting to leave again, he quickly got into his car before glancing up to the door. A chuckle left him as he saw Ru’riro still standing there with a hand against his cheek like a damn romantic cliché before noticing the hand that was waving to him. He lifted his hand up and gave a small wave to the elf before starting his car as the door slid shut before he started to make his way back to his home.

Kissing his cheek hadn’t been the original plan but it was a start at least. And there was that promise of getting to see him again soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That should have fixed it all up!  
> So double update I guess lol

Soon ended up being two days later on Sunday. Dorian had gotten a message early that morning asking him if he wanted to come over again. Ru’riro had used the guise that they could get some more research done but honestly, that was the furthest thing from either of their minds.

Well, what little thought that could be thought with a rambunctious three-year-old running around while screeching and laughing. There was an exhaustion in the elf’s eyes that hadn’t been there two days ago. But Dorian noticed it immediately when he walked in, taking in the elf’s disheveled appearance complete with an oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants that also looked too large for him. He didn’t say anything until they had settled into the couch and Alana had finally quieted down a fair amount. Opening his mouth to speak, he paused when he noticed Ru’riro was also doing the same thing. He immediately stifled his questions and waited for the other to speak.

“About the other night,” Ru’riro began, fiddling with the coffee cup in his hands for a short while before looking up at Dorian. He blushed slightly and quickly looked away again. “I’m uh…well I’m curious about things now.”

“Curious are you? About what?” Dorian asked, feeling his heart rate increase just a bit. Drinking more coffee wasn’t going to help him but he continued to drink it any way.

“You’ve probably heard the rumors that were being spread about me so I’m a little curious as to what you were…” Ru’riro sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair before gripping it slightly. “Look I’m super awkward about these kinds of things and I don’t really know what to say or how to act.” Another heavy sigh left him before he finally met Dorian’s eyes, pursing his lips slightly. “I just want to know if what happened the other night was out of you just trying to confirm something and messing with me or something else. This isn’t just some sort of prank is it?”

“Of course it isn’t!” Dorian blurted out before coughing slightly and setting his cup down on the coffee table. “And the only rumors I had been hearing about where concerning you leaving early from class all the time. That is it. I didn’t mean to upset you just from kissing your cheek.” Now he was nervous that the other was upset about the whole things. “You’re not…upset about it are you?”

“No! No, I’m not. I just…I’m much better with knowing that you weren’t just trying to confirm something. I’d heard there were some rumors going around about me and honestly, I couldn’t stop myself from asking you if maybe you were just in on some of them-“

“Because I’m a Vint?” Dorian teased, grinning at the elf.

“Wha-NO!” Ru’riro’s eyes went wide in slightly panic before he relaxed when the other waved off his panicked expression. “Right, you’re just joking.” Chuckling softly, he relaxed into the couch again before picking his coffee cup back up to resume drinking his coffee. “So that kiss did mean something then?”

“Yes, it did and well, I will be honest, it did confirm something to me.” The confession was finally out and the Vint toyed with his cup for a moment before elaborating. “I was not entirely sure if you were into men. Or me for that fact.” There was a snort of laughter, causing him to look up in slight alarm to find the elf snorting into his cup with a grin on his lips. “Now what is so funny about that?” Although he was confused, he couldn’t stop the grin that found it’s way back to his lips.

“Dorian, I am incredibly gay.” Ru’riro snorted, laughing now as he set his cup back down in order to avoid getting coffee up his nose. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear about THAT.”

“Well…that was actually a rumor that I had heard but I yelled at people for saying something like that.” Dorian admitted before adding “But they weren’t saying it very nicely I might add.”

“Blond guy sitting behind us in class?” He waited for Dorian to nod before shrugging. “He’s been hounding me for years. Doesn’t like that I’m Dalish and gay and in college. Oh well. I’m used to that.”

“You shouldn’t be.” Getting another shrug from the elf, Dorian continued with a small smile. “So you’re fine with me being attracted to you?” There was a beat of silence before he noticed that Ru’riro was blushing with a smile on his lips and nodding shyly. “Now that’s not an answer.”

“Yes, I’m fine with it.” Ru’riro said, chuckling softly before looking over to the small hallway that led to his and Alana’s bedrooms as he heard Alana banging something around in her room. Once the noise stopped, he looked at Dorian again with a big smile. “You uh…want to kiss my cheek again but maybe face to face?”

“Face to face? What-Oh.” Dorian’s eyebrows shot up in surprise before he smirked and set his cup on the table, leaning forward. He felt Ru’riro lean in closer to him and he reached a hand up, letting it rest against the elf’s neck lightly.

But of course things have to play like a ridiculous love movie cliché and just as their lips were about to meet, Alana popped up out of nowhere and effectively scared them both so horribly that they pulled away from each other quickly.

“RuRu, I can’t find Winks.” Alana said, pouting and looking like she was about to cry. “Have you seen him?”

Ru’riro, looking very much like a tomato at this point, stared at Alana blankly before blinking quickly to bring himself back to reality. “Winks…that’s…the stuffed fennec toy, right?” He asked, taking in a deep breath. “He’s in the kitchen. You brought him in there this morning.” He watched the young girl give him a look before running off to the kitchen quickly, letting out a happy squeal when she found her stuffed toy. 

She ran back into the living room, launched herself into Ru’riro’s arms and kissed his cheek happily. “Thank you, RuRu!” She launched herself back out of his arms and went running back to her room where her cheerful chatter floated back out into the living room shortly after.

Sighing softly, Ru’riro looked at Dorian before leaning back into the other and rested his head against the Vint’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” He groaned, pouting slightly. Feeling arms go around him, he let out a content sigh and slipped his own arms around the other’s waist. “She’s really good at interrupting things.”

That got a chuckle out of Dorian and lips pressed against his head. “She’s a child. They’re rambunctious. And very good at interrupting.” He could feel the elf relaxing more the longer they stayed like this and he wanted to test things out to see how relaxed he could get the other. He started rubbing the other’s back gently, grinning when he noticed that Ru’riro was indeed going lax under his ministrations. He continued rubbing the other’s back for a few minutes before he started hearing quiet noises coming from the elf. He went still and listened, chuckling when he noticed that Ru’riro had fallen asleep and was snoring. He carefully leaned back into the couch, tensing just slightly as he felt the elf shift before relaxing again as the other let out a small sigh and relaxed again. Letting himself relax, he closed his eyes and let himself get lost in just relaxing while holding onto the someone he’d been quietly pining for for months now. 

But with a child in the house, of course the content moment wasn’t going to last long and before he even knew it, Dorian was being poked in the arm repeatedly. Cracking an eye open, he looked over to see the young elven girl peering at them curiously. Not wanting to ruin the quiet, he waited patiently and watched her to try and see if he could figure out what she wanted. His unasked question was answered when Alana smiled and leaned closer to him, whispering to him. “Ruru really likes you. He talks about you a lot!” She let out a small giggle before poking Dorian in the nose and then bounding away. 

Confused but also amused by the confrontation, he watched her run away and into the kitchen. It was a little too quiet for his liking and he quietly called out to her. “Alana?” He lifted his head up enough to see the door just in time to see the girl pop back out of the kitchen and came bouncing back out and over to him again. “Stay out of trouble, dear.” He murmured, watching the girl hang onto his words before nodding seriously. “Good girl. Now be careful.” Dorian added, holding back a laugh as she started tiptoeing away. 

The silence lapsed on again and Dorian started falling asleep again but was jolted awake as Ru’riro bolted upright from his chest with a gasp. The elf whipped around, trying to get his bearings and squeaked as he felt arms go around his waist tightly. Looking down as to who or what was holding him down on the couch, he felt his face go red. “Hi.” He said lamely, groaning when he finally realized how embarrassed he was. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that, I’m so sorry.” He muttered, rubbing at his face as he relaxed. Lowering his arms, he set them on top of Dorian’s before looking around curiously. “Where’s-“

“She’s been running around. I’ve kept an eye on her.” Dorian said quickly, feeling the other tense up when he couldn’t see the little girl before relaxing again. “Oh. I get it now.”

“Hm?”

“Why you looked so exhausted.” There was a flash of confusion of Ru’riro’s face before Dorian quickly clarified. “You looked like you were about to fall over at any moment earlier. Your little cat nap seemed to have helped. But you are over exerting yourself. You know, my offer still does stand. I can help out with Alana. Even if it just means you can take a nap during the day.”

“Dorian, you know I can’t ask that of you.” Ru’riro said, sighing heavily. “I really do appreciate the offer but-“

“So how long have you liked me?” 

Sputtering, the elf stared down at the other in pure embarrassment. “I-WHAT?” He squeaked, coughing to try and clear that out of the air. “What do you mean?” Picking at the hem of his shirt, Ru’riro refused to look at Dorian’s face even when he heard the other’s chuckle. 

“Oh I just had an interesting little piece of information given to me by a very young bird earlier is all. Just curious about it.” Dorian hummed, watching as Ru’riro got a little more uncomfortable about where things were heading. Before the elf got TOO uncomfortable about things though, he chuckled and reached a hand up to rest his palm against his cheek. “Hey, I like you too.” He murmured before leaning up and finally pressing their lips together. There was a small moment of fear when he didn’t feel the other react and was about to pull away when he felt fingers tangle up in his hair and suddenly he was being pressed down into the couch by a surprisingly strong body. He felt more than heard the noise that Ru’riro made and his body shuddered at it. They had to break contact or else things were going to head in a direction that wouldn’t be appropriate with a child literally in the next room. He broke the kiss and planted a small one on the side of the elf’s lips gently. “You’re heavy.” He teased, grinning when he felt the other laugh into his neck.

“And you’re a good kisser…wait that’s not an insult at all.” There was a beat of silence before both of them started laughing. Sobering up first, Ru’riro looked down at Dorian and sighed softly. “So Alana spilled the beans huh?”

“Well, to be fair, I had suspicions for a short while. And when I mean short, I mean very short as I was only given slight confirmation the other night when you didn’t sock me in the jaw for kissing your cheek and then with our earlier conversation. However, I am still very glad that I was correct.” Dorian grinned widely, chuckling when the other rolled his eyes at the Vint. “Yes yes, eye rolls and all that.” He rolled his eyes as well before he toyed with some of Ru’riro’s hair gently. “If it wasn’t for Alana, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep my hands where they were so let’s just be grateful for that.”

It took a moment for his words to process before Ru’riro’s face lit right back up to the shade of a ripe tomato. “Dorian!” He scolded but he did laugh. “She does have to take a nap at some point today.” He pointed out, smirking.

“Oh.”

“But it is eerily quiet so I’m going to go see what she’s up to.” Ru’riro hummed, sliding out of Dorian’s lap before he walked down the hallway where he disappeared into a room.

At least Dorian got see his favorite view while the elf walked away.


	6. Past Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small mini chapter as a break form main story.

There were whispers of a young elf traveling through the school immediately when the elf was noticed walking through the halls of the school. It grabbed Dorian’s attention instantly. An elf? And from the sounds of things, they were a DALISH elf. That was unheard of. So when said elf walked into the classroom and found a spot near the front, Dorian froze and just stared at him. He wasn’t just going to go up to the other and ask who he was. That wouldn’t be proper. But as more people walked into the classroom and took their seats, the more glares and odd looks the elf got. 

As the professor walked into the classroom, Dorian’s attention was dragged away from the elf and onto the lecture. Honestly, he’d forgotten about the elf in the classroom until the lecture had ended and the room was slowly emptying out. It was then that he noticed that it was slowly becoming just him and the elf still seated in the room until it really was just the two of them in there now. Tapping his fingers against the desk, he waited for a few moments before he grabbed his things and went over to the other. “Hello there. Couldn’t help but notice that I have not seen you in this classroom before.”

Laughing, the elf looked up with a small grin. “That does tend to happen when you transfer in halfway through the past semester. Hi.” Leaning back into his chair, he finally looked fully at the other male and felt a small blush rise up to the tips of his ears. “My name’s Ru’riro Lavellan.”

“Nice to meet you, Ru’riro. My name is Dorian Pavus.” Dorian introduced himself, finding himself smiling as well. The elf had quite the beautiful smile. “Welcome to what might be the most boring classes you will ever take.”

“Oh I know. That…I don’t even want to call it a lecture I don’t know what that was honestly. Oh, wait…” Looking fearful, Ru’riro looked up at the other. “You uhhh…you don’t believe any of what he was saying do you?”

“Rest assured, I do not believe him at all. Sometimes I’m wondering if he is just trying to start a riot amongst the students honestly.” Seeing the look of pure relief wash over the other, Dorian smiled. “I’m actually here to study Ancient Elves and I’ve done some independent research as well. What he says is very, very…how do I put it?”

“Incorrect. Horribly misinformed. An idiotic, lunatic raving about things that are not even remotely right in any way?”

“That’s it!” Both of them started laughing before sobering up fairly quickly. Dorian grinned and watched the other for a moment, casually checking him out while the elf was distracted with something for the moment. “Ah, well. I shouldn’t take up any more of your time. Welcome to this wonderful university where we have culturally informed professors.” That got another bright grin directed at him, making his heart flutter just a bit. “Have a good rest of your day. I will see you our next class day?”

“See you then, Dorian.”

 

“Aha! I finally remembered what you called him!” Dorian said excitedly, causing his dozing lover to start next to him on the couch.

“What are you going on about?” Ru’riro asked, yawning loudly before rolling around onto his back to look up at the other.

“An idiotic, raving lunatic. I’ve been trying to remember what you called that professor a couple years ago.” Dorian looked down and chuckled at the expression on the elf’s face. “It was the first day you had class on campus.”

“You…why do you remember that?”

“Because that’s when we met. I thought you were adorable.”

There a moment of silence before Ru’riro reached a hand up and poked the Vint’s face as a blush spread across his own face. “You know, for someone who says he’s not a romantic, that was oddly romantic of you.”

“Oh shut it.” Dorian said, quickly dipping his head down to place a gentle peck against the other’s lips. “Go back to sleep. We’ve still got at least ten minutes before Alana wakes up.” He murmured, raking his fingers through Ru’riro hair gently. 

“Can I tell you something?” Ru’riro mumbled before looking up at Dorian, pulling the other back down gently before kissing him lightly. “I thought you were cute too.”

“Ah, so the thoughts were mutual as far as back then? Well then.” Dorian huffed, frowning slightly. He heard Ru’riro chuckle causing him to look down at the other with a small smile. “What?”

“Two years of us both silently wanting each other. Weird to say it out loud.” Ru’riro muttered, yawning loudly before rolling over again and nuzzled into Dorian’s side. Shortly after, there was a quiet snore coming from the elf.

“Yes, it really is.” Dorian whispered, smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Find me on tumblr at  
> [drabblesallday](http://drabblesallday.tumblr.com/)


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